There is a rainbow of colors that you can make from your
standard applesauce using additional fruits from your farmer market or store.
Several of my followers have made a great array of gorgeous jars of flavored
applesauce with a very simple recipe. I wanted to share some of these beautiful
works so that you might give your family a twist to their usual staple from the
pantry.

Below are the recipes from Lisa for strawberries,
blueberries, raspberries, plums, cherries and a peach & apricot applesauce. Also you will find an adapted recipe that
Sarah used from Cooks.com to create a deep burgundy cranberry applesauce. And
lastly Charlotte made a tantalizing rhubarb version that is rich in color and
flavor.

Basic Applesauce:
Quart size jars: About 21 pounds for 7
quarts
Pint size jars: About 13½ pounds for 9 pints.
Use apples that are sweet, juicy and crisp. For a tart flavor, add 1 to
2 pounds of tart apples to each 3 pounds of sweeter fruit. Check out my list of
apples and the best type(varieties) for making applesauce.

Wash, peel, and core apples. If desired, slice apples into water
containing ascorbic acidor bottled lemon juiceto prevent browning. Placed drained
slices in an 8- to 10-quart pot. Add ½ cup water. Stirring occasionally to
prevent burning, heat quickly until tender (5 to 20 minutes, depending on
maturity and variety). Press through a sieve or food mill, or skip the pressing
step if you prefer chunk-style sauce. Sauce
may be packed without sugar. If desired, add 1/8 cup sugar per quart of
sauce. You can add brown sugar in place of regular white sugar. Taste and add
more, if preferred. Reheat sauce to boiling. Fill jars with hot sauce, leaving
½-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process for 15 minutes for pints and 20
minutes for quarts.

*Note you can cook down the 4 cups of fruit separately then add to the 6 cups
of already prepared applesauce. Peaches should be peeled but all the other
fruit can be used after they have been hulled, pitted, or de-seeded if you don’t
want the raspberry seeds). Cook the fruit with a ¼ cup of water (to prevent scorching for 15 minutes then either mash or run through a food mill for a
smooth consistency.)

Preparation:Prepare 5 pints or 2 quarts and 1 pint (this will
be adjusted for more jars if you add a lot of sugar), lids, and rings.
Sterilize the jars and keep them in the hot water till it’s time for
processing. Make sure to fill your water bath canner and get the water to a
simmer.

Cooking:In a large
stainless steel or enameled dutch combine applesauce and additional fruit. Cook
down till all fruit is at the “sauce” stage (If not pre-cooked). Run through
food mill or mash by hand. You can leave the texture chunky if you desire. Add sugar (optional) to taste
based on sweetness of fruit. Start with 1/8 cup sugar, stir into mixture, then
taste. Add additional till the flavor desired. You can also add spices at this
point if desired such as cinnamon or nutmeg. Bring to a boil and remove from
heat.

Filling the
jars: On a dishtowel place your hot jars and using your funnel in each
jar fill leaving 1/2” headspace. Taking a clean
papertowel wet it with warm water and wipe the rims of the jars removing any
food particles that would interfere with a good seal. Using your magic wand
extract the lids from the hot water and place them on the now cleaned rims. Add
your rings to the tops of each of the jars and turn to seal just "finger
tight".

Processing:Make sure your rack is on the bottom of the canner and
place the jars in the water bath making sure that the water covers each of the
jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add hot water to the canner if it doesn't measure up.
Cover the pot and turn up the heat under the canner and wait for the water to
start boiling. Once the water has come to a boil start your timer for 20
minutes. When complete turn off the heat and remove the cover and let the jars
sit for another few minutes. Remove the jars and place them back on the
dishtowel in a place that they will sit overnight to cool. Do not touch or move
them till the next morning.Sealing:Sometime in the next hour your jars
will be making a "pinging" or "popping" noise. That is the
glass cooling and the reaction of the lids being sucked into the jar for proper
sealing. Some recipes may take overnight to seal. Check your lids and reprocess
any jars that did not seal.Labeling: Make sure to label your jars after they have cooled with the name of the
recipe and the date canned. If you want to use the shrink labels you can order
themHere!

Preparation:Prepare 6 pints or 3 quarts (you can adjust for
more jars if you add a lot of sugar), lids, and rings. Sterilize the jars and
keep them in the hot water till it’s time for processing. Make sure to fill
your water bath canner and get the water to a simmer.

Preparation:Prepare 1 quarts or 2 pints , lids, and rings.
Sterilize the jars and keep them in the hot water till it’s time for
processing. Make sure to fill your water bath canner and get the water to a
simmer.

Cooking:In a large
stainless steel or enameled dutch combine In a pan, place the chopped rhubarb and the chopped apples
with the water. On medium-high heat, uncovered, bring the mixture to a boil.
Immediately reduce heat to low, and allow the mixture to simmer for about 20
minutes, with the lid on part way. Stir occasionally. When the rhubarb and
apples are tender, remove the pan from the heat, and add the sugar. Using
potato masher, mash the apples with the rhubarb. Bring mixture to a boil and
remove from heat. Use “Filling, Processing, Sealing and Labeling”
instructions above!

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Altitude Adjustments

The gel point method is also noted in many cookbooks and is a process to test the gel of a jam, jelly or preserve. There are two methods of testing using a spoon or a plate.

SHEET TEST

Dip a cold metal spoon into the boiling soft spread. Lift the spoon and hold it horizontally with edge down so that the syrup runs off the edge. As the mixture cooks, the drops will become heavier and will drop off the spoon separately but two at a time. When the two drops join together and “sheet” off the spoon, the gel stage has been reached.

FREEZER TEST

Chill a small saucers in the freezer. Place a teaspoonful of soft spread on the chilled saucer and place in the freezer for 1 minute. Remove the saucer from the freezer and push the edge of the spread with your finger. A mixture that has reached the gel stage will be set, and the surface will wrinkle when the edge is pushed.